Lions' Kirby Fabien claws way back into Leos’ lineup (with video)

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KAMLOOPS — For Kirby Fabien, the entire B.C. Lions training camp is focused on one objective: Getting back on the right foot.

Actually, that’s just a figure of speech. It’s his knee that needs to be in better working order for his primary task: keeping the quarterback upright and knocking the opponent’s derrière on the turf.

As a rookie offensive lineman last season, Fabien was impressive in training camp from Day 1. The former Calgary Dino positioned himself to be a starter right out of the chute, and made his pro debut in the season opener against his hometown Calgary Stampeders. His growth from week to week showed no signing of abating until he was cut down by a crackback block following an interception in the fifth game of the 2013 CFL season. He suffered a catastrophic knee injury July 30 against the Toronto Argonauts at Rogers Centre, had a reconstruction performed just three days later in Vancouver, and now awaits an assessment of his recovery.

Physically, Fabien admits he is “90 per cent” of the way there. Psychologically, the healing process continues.

“With Kirby — and I know, because I’ve been there — he’s got to get over the mental hump,” veteran guard Dean Valli said. “You recover much quicker physically than you do mentally. The only way to get over the mental part is to just jump right into the fire. It’s scary. I told him, ‘You’re going to be scared at first.’ You have to put yourself in a position where your instincts take over. Until you get there, your mind will stop you from pushing as hard as you should.”

Training camp drills — never mind the actual games — can be meat-grinders for offensive linemen. They are usually the only position players who don’t get extended breaks in practice. The tempo, set by coach Dan Dorazio, is fast and the work is demanding. Elementary physics declares that when big bodies collide, something might give.

“We don’t mess around,” Valli said. “We get right down to work. And it’s a violent position, especially in camp. During camp, you have a lot of new guys who are here, and you only get so many chances to show your stuff. There’s a lot of competition. It’s high intensity. And guys get hurt.”

Two import linemen — Josh Jenkins and Jason Slowey — already have been airlifted out of Kamloops because of injuries and 2013 first-round draft pick Hunter Steward is hobbled with a second-degree MCL sprain left over from rookie camp.

For a training camp, that list of injured and walking wounded is not considered excessive. Two years ago, the Lions had three veteran O-linemen go down with knee injuries on the first day of camp alone.

“The war in the trenches — it’s tough on the body,” Steward said. “We’re busting our butts every single day. Body gets tired. Your feet move a little slower. That’s usually when you get rolled up on, when your feet aren’t moving. It’s a little painful.”

Steward is only one week into his injury and is expected to be out for two more. As much as Fabien can understand his frustration, Steward, a monster six-foot-six, 325-pound guard, isn’t facing a situation comparable to what he went through.

“I feel bad for him,” Fabien said. “It’s bad to see him hurt, because he’s a good player with a bright future. But it’s hard for me to have sympathy. I wish I only did that (MCL sprain) to my knee. It would have been a lot easier.”

The block that sent Fabien crumpling to the turf last July required repair and reattachment of the posterior collateral ligament, the lateral collateral ligament, lateral and medial cartilage and lateral hamstring tendon — a total reconstruction.

Thanks to some serious medical brainpower from the Lions’ orthopedic surgeon Bob McCormack, buckets of rehab sweat from Fabien and the passage of time, he feels much more like an athlete than a hospital patient.

Still, while Fabien is pencilled in as the starting left guard on the depth chart, that might be a little over-optimistic, considering he is still experiencing some swelling of the knee.

“I’ve been able to do my footwork. I’ve been sprinting. I’ve been lifting,” he said. “I’ve been in full mode, training wise, since February. It’s easy to get to 90 cent. The last 10 per cent is the hardest part. Mentally, I’m less than that. It’s hard to go out there when everyone else has two healthy knees and you don’t. In a full speed drill, nobody cares about your knee. It’s hard to get over that mental hurdle, but I’m progressing.”

The injury may have wrecked a promising season, Fabien reminds people, but it did not break his spirit.

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Lions' Kirby Fabien claws way back into Leos’ lineup (with video)

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